Thomas Farthing thread

[TartuWolf]

Thomas Farthing London | Fine Suiting & Headwear

Fine Suiting & Headwear Specialists. Each garment is designed with careful consideration of materials, colours and shapes, taking inspiration from our collection of 1930-40s archival pieces & photography. Specialising in Baker Boy Caps, Harris Tweed & handcrafted Fedoras, all exclusive to Thomas...

thomasfarthing.co.uk

THOMAS FARTHING ʟᴏɴᴅᴏɴ (@thomasfarthinglondon) • Instagram photos and videos

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I've been following their IG for a while and damn do they seem to make lovely stuff.
The prices are definitely out of my reach, but the whole the brand really echoes with my ideals as far as style goes.
Some stuff ain't even that expensive, for example a 100% merino wool scarf for 45eur is definitely not bad.
Anyone got any of their pieces? Thoughts about the brand? Maybe I'm missing something as I haven't seen their stuff discussed at all?
They are sure investing into marketing a ton, which is almost a work of art by itself.

 

[marker2037]

I have actually been in the same position as you. I’ve almost bought a fedora from them, but held off. At the moment, their peacoats are really appealing to me as I want a second winter wool coat, one shorter than my polo coat, and a peacoat is really appealing to me at the moment.

 

[Edward]

Nice stuff. Far from cheap, though an interesting combination of 30s/40s looks with their own distinctive house style. Daved Vanian of The Damned has in recent years often been seen sporting one of their double-ribbon fedoras:

Mr Vanian is, of course, very much a 30s style afficionado, and the only man I've ever met who dresses down to go on stage. I was very tempted by one of these myself, but couldn't quite justify it as I already have a nice, midnight blue fedora from the Hat Centre.

The Thomas Farthing Outerwear all looks really very nice too. Not cheap, but price-wise on a par with what I'd regard as their direct UK competition - the likes of Walker Slater, and Cordings in particular.

 

[herculance]

Loving that brown peacoat! Thanks for this, seems def worth checking out.

 

[Zoro]

I don't see it that expensive, tbh. Same ballpark as many other brands popular here in TFL or fashion brands like Hugo Boss, Guess or Tommy Hilfiger.

I must say I'm very put off by their pictures. They feel so try hard, over the edge and just cosplayish to me, uncanny valley even.

 

[l0fielectronic]

I had a Harris tweed jacket they'd made for Bucktrout Tailoring, it was nice enough, above average in materials, but the cut wasn't great and it didn't feel particularly special. I don't know if this is the same quality as what they sell themselves.

I picked it up in the sale but ended up selling it pretty quickly in the end, I think the fit wasn't great in some way but can't remember fully. I do like some of the styles they are selling on there though.

 

[LuddGang]

I don't see it that expensive, tbh. Same ballpark as many other brands popular here in TFL or fashion brands like Hugo Boss, Guess or Tommy Hilfiger.

I must say I'm very put off by their pictures. They feel so try hard, over the edge and just cosplayish to me, uncanny valley even.

This is what puts me off - some of the outerwear looks nice, but it’s difficult to imagine them in any other context than full cosplay because of how hard they’ve committed to the bit.

I regularly walk past the shop in London and think about popping in, but it feels vaguely ridiculous when I’m dressed in ‘normal’ smart/casual clothes for work.

 

[The Lost kansan]

I went into Thomas farthing in London about a year ago intending to buy one of their hats. It had looked nice online but once I was in the store I thought the felt had a chunky look and feel and seemed more like a costume hat than an actual wearable hat. So I left with nothing.
However I remember noting that I liked their vintage style dress shirts and might get one in the future.

 

[ABCD]

I own about a dozen shirts, a few pants and some small leather goods, bought online and from their brick and mortar store.

First of all, their customer service is above and beyond. The sales associates actually know their stuff which is rare nowadays. They gave great advice on style, fit and sizing and they knew about the quality of their products. I've worked as a sales associate in the high-end fashion industry myself so I'm quite critical when it comes to customer service, these guys deliver.

Same holds for their online customer support and aftersales. One time I had to return a shirt due to sizing issues, the return got stuck in customs for 8 weeks before being delivered back to me. By then I was way outside of their terms and conditions' return window but still they arranged the item to be picked up from my home and issued a full refund. Another time I ordered a discounted shirt online but it turned out that the item was no longer in stock. They offered to pick a shirt from their new collection at the discounted price.

Now about the quality. Their shirts are amazing, handmade in Naples using beautiful Japanese or Italian fabrics. Great fit (not too wide, not too slim) unlike Cathcart London for instance which shirts fit like a tent. I'd say the quality is comparable to or even slightly better than shirts from Ralph Lauren Purple Label or Ermenegildo Zegna (which are much more expensive).

I own some 40s style dress pants which are great as well, made in Portugal if I'm not mistaken, nice fabrics and finish. When visiting their store I also tried on a couple of their jackets and waistcoats but I didn't love the fit. A suit jacket's fit is not only determined by the cut but even more so by the interfacing. The interfacing determines how a jacket drapes and how it feels on the body. Their jackets didn't do it for me but I do realize that I'm spoiled in that sense because I mainly wear Ralph Lauren Purple label, Caruso or Tom Ford suits which are in a different price range so I guess the comparison is not really fair.

Hats and caps are decent quality too, made in Spain, although I have to admit that I'm not all that knowledgeable about hats in general so it's hard for me to really assess their quality.

I love that their products are made locally (Europe). Leather goods are mode in England, suits and trousers in Portugal, hats in Spain, shirts in Italy and knitwear in Scotland. This gives me the feeling that I'm buying an honest product, which is more and more important to me.

 

[Harris HTM]

the likes of Walker Slater, and Cordings in particular.

How do Cordings compare to Walker slater? I own many pairs of trousers and suits from WS and looking for an overcoat. Cordings have rather disappointing reviews at trustpilot.

 

[Edward]

How do Cordings compare to Walker slater? I own many pairs of trousers and suits from WS and looking for an overcoat. Cordings have rather disappointing reviews at trustpilot.

I've not owned them over the long term (my budget is very much more Peter Christian than Cordings, alas), but the impression I have from handling them and knowing several folks who do have a lot of their stuff, quality is about the same. There's no doubt the Cordings name (added to the doubtless significant overhead of running a physical shopfront on Piccadilly) brings a cost element with it. Like for like, there are cheaper options out there (Peter Christian, Gurteen, Bladen) which are imo as good, though there's also stuff in Cordings that you just won't find elsewhere, much like Thomas Farthing. The web complaints seem to be mostly tied to their online delivery service, so visiting in person might be better if an option. The one complaining about the shirt for "gorillas" I don't quite get, unless they were expecting one of the very modern tailored fits, which of coursed is not what Cordings is about. Long may they make such shirts... my only complaint about the shirts I buy from Charles Tyrwhitt has long been that I wish they would do some variation in the collars. The standard Jermyn Street 'Classic Collar' is of course very nice, but I wish they'd throw a few spearpoints in there too, for variety.

 

[marker2037]

I own about a dozen shirts, a few pants and some small leather goods, bought online and from their brick and mortar store.

First of all, their customer service is above and beyond. The sales associates actually know their stuff which is rare nowadays. They gave great advice on style, fit and sizing and they knew about the quality of their products. I've worked as a sales associate in the high-end fashion industry myself so I'm quite critical when it comes to customer service, these guys deliver.

Same holds for their online customer support and aftersales. One time I had to return a shirt due to sizing issues, the return got stuck in customs for 8 weeks before being delivered back to me. By then I was way outside of their terms and conditions' return window but still they arranged the item to be picked up from my home and issued a full refund. Another time I ordered a discounted shirt online but it turned out that the item was no longer in stock. They offered to pick a shirt from their new collection at the discounted price.

Now about the quality. Their shirts are amazing, handmade in Naples using beautiful Japanese or Italian fabrics. Great fit (not too wide, not too slim) unlike Cathcart London for instance which shirts fit like a tent. I'd say the quality is comparable to or even slightly better than shirts from Ralph Lauren Purple Label or Ermenegildo Zegna (which are much more expensive).

I own some 40s style dress pants which are great as well, made in Portugal if I'm not mistaken, nice fabrics and finish. When visiting their store I also tried on a couple of their jackets and waistcoats but I didn't love the fit. A suit jacket's fit is not only determined by the cut but even more so by the interfacing. The interfacing determines how a jacket drapes and how it feels on the body. Their jackets didn't do it for me but I do realize that I'm spoiled in that sense because I mainly wear Ralph Lauren Purple label, Caruso or Tom Ford suits which are in a different price range so I guess the comparison is not really fair.

Hats and caps are decent quality too, made in Spain, although I have to admit that I'm not all that knowledgeable about hats in general so it's hard for me to really assess their quality.

I love that their products are made locally (Europe). Leather goods are mode in England, suits and trousers in Portugal, hats in Spain, shirts in Italy and knitwear in Scotland. This gives me the feeling that I'm buying an honest product, which is more and more important to me.

Great insight, thanks Marc!

That tawny rust peacoat is really speaking to me.

 

[Judgmentalist]

I’ve only just discovered Thomas Farthing. Their hats look awesome to me, and cheap for what they are. I assume they are using rabbit felt. What am I missing?

 

[Edward]

I’ve only just discovered Thomas Farthing. Their hats look awesome to me, and cheap for what they are. I assume they are using rabbit felt. What am I missing?

Not sure I'd call them cheap - that may be relative, though. They're certainly cheaper than Locks or Bates (available via Hilditch & Key these days). I think they're more distinctive than Christies - certainly the Reuben, as worn by Dave Vanian, is more distinctive than anything else I've seen in the price bracket. Their caps are very competitively priced against the sort of artisanal makers popular on TFL.

Website doesn't specify which fur, just furfelt, so I think it's a safe bet they're rabbit rather than beaver (also taking the price into account, I'd expect them to be an extra £100 or so on top were they beaver). They have that Reuben model out now in a tan that is really calling to me.... gah. Maybe I'll just keep an eye out for a sale as the weather gets warmer...

 

[Judgmentalist]

Not sure I'd call them cheap - that may be relative, though. They're certainly cheaper than Locks or Bates (available via Hilditch & Key these days). I think they're more distinctive than Christies - certainly the Reuben, as worn by Dave Vanian, is more distinctive than anything else I've seen in the price bracket. Their caps are very competitively priced against the sort of artisanal makers popular on TFL.

Website doesn't specify which fur, just furfelt, so I think it's a safe bet they're rabbit rather than beaver (also taking the price into account, I'd expect them to be an extra £100 or so on top were they beaver). They have that Reuben model out now in a tan that is really calling to me.... gah. Maybe I'll just keep an eye out for a sale as the weather gets warmer...

Right, not empirically inexpensive (new hats ain’t cheap, sadly) just inexpensive relative to the market that I’m seeing for the quality that I think I’m seeing. I assume this is an education problem and the hats are priced correctly for the market. They look nice to me

I’m not a fan of that double ribbon one I don’t think. It just looks off to me.

 

[The Lost kansan]

I’ve only just discovered Thomas Farthing. Their hats look awesome to me, and cheap for what they are. I assume they are using rabbit felt. What am I missing?

I’ve not owned any myself so I don’t know how they hold up over time but I have gone into the shop to try on (and intending to purchase) one of their hats, the open road/Stratoliner style they call the Burbank Rancher.
I enjoyed the shop as a whole and I remember they were selling some very nice genuine vintage ties.
But the felt hats felt cheap to me. That look really nice on the website but in person the finish is not very good (the stitching, unevenly sewn ribbons etc) and the felt itself felt thick and costume like.

 

[Edward]

Right, not empirically inexpensive (new hats ain’t cheap, sadly) just inexpensive relative to the market that I’m seeing for the quality that I think I’m seeing. I assume this is an education problem and the hats are priced correctly for the market. They look nice to me

I’m not a fan of that double ribbon one I don’t think. It just looks off to me.

The double ribbon is definitely a bold choice that's not going to be for everyone, though I like it. It would bed interesting to see the same hat with a more regular ribbon treatment - I think it would still be the most distinctive of their line-up.

The other one I'd be tempted by is the one that looks like a Stratoliner, though it's a much flatter brim that I'd prefer. Not sure if it has a snap, not handled one of those in person.

It's not an extensive range yet, but then they're not exclusively a hat company so that's probably fair enough. It'll be interesting to see what else they come out with over time.

 

[Judgmentalist]

I’ve not owned any myself so I don’t know how they hold up over time but I have gone into the shop to try on (and intending to purchase) one of their hats, the open road/Stratoliner style they call the Burbank Rancher.
I enjoyed the shop as a whole and I remember they were selling some very nice genuine vintage ties.
But the felt hats felt cheap to me. That look really nice on the website but in person the finish is not very good (the stitching, unevenly sewn ribbons etc) and the felt itself felt thick and costume like.

Thank you for this feedback. Honestly this isn’t surprising to hear at this price point.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Very cool and unique items at this site & company. Nice to see it. I see these are really more "suits" and Fedora's than "Outerwear" but they have a lot of that as well.

I would love to actually try something out like this suit and take a photo similar on the same bridge, if I could find it.

 

[Judgmentalist]

Very cool and unique items at this site & company. Nice to see it. I see these are really more "suits" and Fedora's than "Outerwear" but they have a lot of that as well.

I would love to actually try something out like this suit and take a photo similar on the same bridge, if I could find it.

View attachment 783586

I’m planning on having pretty much this exact suit made for next winter.